Cover-fastening for boxes or like articles.



No. 65,070. Pa tenmu 1m 5, i900.

J. c. ENOYCH.

COVE R FASTENING FOB BOXES 0B LIKE ARTICLES.

' (Application filed Oct. 20, 1899.)

(No Model.)

gwibv wooao V y Q attozmq as coqfuwrounm WASNINGTON n c UNITED STATES- PATENT @rmon JOHN C. ENOCH, OF MOUNT STERLING, KENTUCKY.

COVER-FASTENING FOR BOXES OR LIKE ARTICLES,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 651,070, dated June 5, 1900.

' Application filed October 20, 1899 Serial No. 734,271. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: I

- zen of the United States, residing at Mount Sterling, in the county of Montgomery and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Cover-Fastening for Boxes or Like Articles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cover-fastenings for boxes and like articles; and it has'for one object to provide a simple and efficient fastening of this character providing positive and reliable means for securely fastening the cover of a box or analogous article to its body, so as to prevent displacement thereof in the ordinary use of the article. To this end the invention primarily contemplates a cover-fastening that is specially applicable to paper or similar boxes made of flexible material, and particularly to that type of paper boxes known as lunch-boxes, which are usually encircled with a strap to hold the cover in place and at the same time provide a handle for carrying the same. The present invention obviates the necessity of passing a holding strap around the box and permits of a ham: dle being applied directly to the cover. In carrying out this object the invention contemplates a construction whereby the weight of the box when being carried will serve to hold the parts of the fastening more firmly interlocked and to resist any tendency thereof to become separated.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fastening that is especially useful in connection with paper boxes to provide for not only securing the cover'in place, but also to reinforce or strengthen the contiguous edges of the box-body and its cover.

With these and other objects in view, which will more readily appearas the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

The essential features of the invention are susceptible to some modification without departing from the spirit or scope thereof; but the preferred embodiment of the improvments is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a perspective view of a paper I lunch-box fitted with a cover-fastening constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the box, showing the cover separated from the body. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through one end of the box and its cover,showing the separate members of the fastening interlocked. Figs. at and 5 are details in perspective, respectively, of the separate plates constituting the fastening.

I Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings. 7

In carrying out the invention the separate parts or members constituting the fastening may be applied to different types of boxes or like articles in which the cover is fitted over the open side of the body and is usually held in place by an encircling strap or equivalent holding device; but the fastening is preferably associated with boxes made of paperboard or other flexible material-such, for instance, as the ordinary paper or leather board lunch-boxes-inasmuch as the flexibility of the box-body facilitates the disengagement of the separate locking members and the removal of the cover. Therefore for illustrative purposes, to show the preferable manner of applying the invention to use, a paper lunch-box 1 is shown in the drawings. The

box 1 consists of the usual rectangular body portion 2 and the cover 3, provided with a peripheral depending flange 4, adapted to fit over the top edges of the body 2, at the open side thereof. This form of paper box is usually provided with no means of retaining the cover in place except a strap to encircle both the body and cover thereof and which strap also provides a handle for carrying the same. In the use of the fastening contemplated by the present invention the extra strap orstring for holding the cover in place is dispensed with, and the cover 3 may have attached directly to the outer side thereof a carryinghandle 5.

The fastening constituting the present invention consists of a pair of plates 6 and 7,-

arranged at each end of the box-body and its cover, as plainly shown in Fig. 2 of the draw ings, and inasmuch as each pair of plates are duplicates a description of one pair will suffice for the other. The plates 6 and 7 of the fastening are formed from strips of sheet metal of suiiicient length to form reinforce bindings for the edges of the box-body and its cover, to which the same are applied, and the plates 6 of the opposite pairs of fastenings are folded upon themselves and are securely clenched or otherwise suitably fastened on the upper edges of the opposite end walls of the box-body, and the said plates 6 are coextensive in length with the box-body, so as to extend the full length of the end walls and provide stiff metallic bindings for the top edges thereof, thus greatly strengthening the structure of the box and increasing the durability thereof. the opposite pairs are likewise folded upon themselves and are clenched or otherwise securely fastened over the bottom edges of the cover-flange 4 at the ends of the cover, and by reason of extending the full width of the cover the fastening-plates 7 also serve as metallic bindings for reinforcing the ends thereof, which is very desirable in paper structures, which are easily bent out of shape and often caused to collapse on account of improper reinforcement. The fastening-plate 6 of each pair has struck out from the outer side thereof and at an intermediate point between its ends an integral offset catch-tongue 8, which is disposed in adownward direction and is adapted to engage in and have an interlocking engagement with an offset keeper or socket 9, projecting from the inner side of the plate 7, with which the plate 6 is associated. The keeper or socket 9 of each fastening-plate 7 is an integral part thereof and is offset therefrom in a similar manner to the catch-tongue 8 of the plate 6; but the said keeper or socket of each plate 7 is disposed reversely to the tongue 8 cooperating therewiththat is, it is disposed in an upward direction, so that when the cover is in place the catch-tongue will engage inside of the keeper or socket, and thereby provide for securely locking the cover in place and preventing displacement thereof in any direction.

In carrying out the invention the position of therseparate plates 6 and 7 of the fastening could of course be reversed without affecting the interlocking action of the catchtongue and the keeper or socket coiiperating therewitlnit being simply necessary that these locking members maintain a reverse relation to each other and project in opposite directions to secure the engagement of one within the other.

YVith the parts constructed as described it will be understood that when the cover of the box is slid over the open side thereof the inwardly offset keepers or sockets 9 of the plates 7 will be forced over the downwardlydisposed catch-tongues 8 of the plates 6, fitted to the end walls of the box-body. These end walls, by reason of the flexibility of the paper-board, will bend inwardly when the cover is being fitted in place and permit of the keep- The fastening-plates 7 of it ers or sockets passing over and below the plane of said catch-tongues 8. When the cover has been thus positioned, an outward pull thereon will carry the keepers or sockets 9 in to interlocking engagement with the catchtongues S, as plainly illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings. When the keepers or sockets and the catclvtongues 8 are engaged, it will be observed that the cover is locked against displacement either laterally or off from the box-body, and the engagement of the parts is maintained by the weight of the box when carried. When it is desired to remove the cover, the latter is forced inwardly upon the body to carry the keepers or sockets 9 out of engagement with the tongues 8. By then pressing inwardly upon one of the end walls 1 of the box-body,to move the catch-tongue 8 at such end at one side of the plane of the keeper or socket, the cover may be readily removed.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction and many advantages of the herein-described fastening will be readily apparent to those familiar with the art Without further description, and it will be understood that changes in the form, proportion, and

minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent} is 1. A box-cover or similarfastening comprising a pair of companion fastening-plates applied to and extending along the contiguous edges of a box-body and its cover and constituting metallic bindings therefor, said plates having detachable interlocking connection one with the other, as and for the-purposes described.

2. A box-cover or similar fastening comprising a pair of fastening-plates applied to and extending along the contiguous edges of the box-body audits cover to form metal bindin gs therefor, said plates being provided with integral reversely-disposed locking members adapted to engage one within the other, substantially as set forth.

3. A box-cover or similar fastening comprising a pair of folded fastening-plates enibracing and extending along the contiguous edges of the box-body and its cover, said plates constituting metallic edge-bindingsfor the body and its cover at the inner and outer sides thereof, and being provided with integral reversely-disposed locking members adapted to engage one within theother, substantially as set forth.

4. A box-cover or similar fastening comprising a pair of companion fastening-plates applied to the contiguous edges of a box-body and itscover and constituting metallic bindings therefor, one of. said plates being provided with an offset catch-tongue, and the other plate having an offset keeper or socket, said catch-tongue and the keeper being disposed in reversed relation one to the other and adapted for detachable interlocking connection, as and for the purposes described.

5. In a box-cover or similar fastening, the combination with the box-body and its cover, of oppositely-located pairs of fastening-plates embracing the contiguous end edges of the box-body and its cover, and extending the full length of said edges, one of the fastening-plates of each pair being provided at the outer side thereof with an integral offset downwardly-disposed catch-tongue, and the other plate of the pair being provided at the inner side thereof with an integral, ofiset np- Wardly-disposed keeper or socket, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN C. ENOCH.

Witnesses:

MYER COHEN, BERTRAM G. FOSTER. 

